Bridge Trolls are trolls that stop travellers from crossing bridges until they have answered a riddle correctly. Failure to answer the riddle correctly usually means death, although many trolls will accept other means.

Crossing the Bridge

Generally, a troll will wait under a bridge until they hear the sound of something crossing the bridge, at which point they will leap out and challenge them to solve a riddle, while making sure to generously slobber on them. Note that only the person or creature standing on the bridge is asked a question, so if you a riding a horse, a horse must answer the question. Questions are scaled to the appropriate difficulty level for whomever is being asked. The riddles are usually very literal, instead of the clever, metaphorical ones usually asked in Earth culture.

Failure to answer a riddle correctly means that the troll will savagely murder the traveller and grind his bones. Failure rates vary based on the bridge, but about five people per week are killed crossing any given bridge.

Bridge trolls may also accept payment or trades to let passengers cross, and may also let them cross if they can best the bridge troll in physical combat.

R-Pass

Travellers that frequently cross bridges can apply for an R-Pass, which will allow you to cross any bridge without having to answer the bridge troll's riddle. To get one, you must answer a full battery of riddles correctly.

Bureaucracy

All riddles asked by trolls must be approved for asking. Trolls can submit riddles, and most bridge trolls do so regularly.

Very often the trolls that administer the R-Pass test go on to become bridge trolls themselves.